Make the Yuletide Gay
by Knappster
Summary: Staubrey Christmas one shots.
1. To Thine Own Elf Be True

**A/N: These are mostly prompts. I'm still taking Christmas prompts so if you think of anything you can drop them on my tumblr ss-staubrey, or here.**

* * *

Aubrey sighed and made her way to the back of the line of children waiting to get a picture with Santa. This really wasn't how she expected to spend her Christmas break, but she promised her mom she'd take her sister to the mall. She loved her sister but the mall right before Christmas was one of the worst places in the world.

"Bree, how many presents can I ask for?"

Aubrey looked down from her phone when the girl tugged her hand. "Huh?"

"How many presents can I ask Santa to get me?"

"Just one, Case."

The little girl frowned. "Why?"

"He has to go to a lot of houses, he can't carry multiple presents for everyone." Aubrey tightened her grip on the small hand and moved forward. She had told Casey she couldn't let go of her hand for any reason, there were too many people around them and she could get lost easily.

"But his sleigh is magic, right? So doesn't he have like infinite room to put the presents?"

"He still has to take them from the sleigh to the tree and he doesn't have infinite arms."

The girl stopped to consider this, a frown still on her face, as they approached the front of the line.

The elf letting people in crouched in front of Casey. "Hey, what's with the frown? It's almost your turn."

Casey looked up at her. "Aubrey says I can only ask for one thing and I'm trying to decide what I want."

The elf chuckled. "Oh, well-" She looked up at Aubrey and smiled. "-you could give Santa options and then he'll pick one."

"Really?" Casey smiled widely when the elf nodded. "Okay."

"Awesome!" She held out her hand. "I'm Stacie."

Aubrey let go of Casey's hand momentarily so the girl could shake Stacie's hand. "I'm Casey. And this is Aubrey, my sister."

"It's really nice to meet you, Casey." Stacie straightened up, her eyes raking up Aubrey's body as she did. "And it's _really_ nice to meet you, Aubrey."

Aubrey smiled stiffly and grabbed Casey's hand again.

"Why are you so tall?" Casey asked and Stacie looked down at her confused. "Elves are supposed to be small."

"Oh." Stacie looked around and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Can you keep a secret?" The little girl nodded earnestly. "We're only short in the North Pole. We're taller when we're here so we can blend in and report back to Santa if anyone's being naughty."

Stacie looked up and winked at Aubrey making her roll her eyes, while the little girl tilted her head trying to decide if she believed her.

She looked at the other elves and pointed at one standing next to Santa. "Why is she still tiny then?"

"That's Beca, she's the tiniest elf." Stacie laughed. "When we're in the North Pole she's like-" Stacie held her thumb and forefinger a few inches apart. "-this big. She's very useful when we need someone to go inside a toy and check that everything's working."

The boy who was sitting on Santa's lap jumped off and Stacie let them through. Aubrey let go of Casey's hand and the girl ran to the big man in the costume.

"She's cute." Aubrey arched an eyebrow at Stacie's comment and turned back to look at her sister. "Must be genetic."

"I don't think you should flirt with the clients."

"Oh, I'm not flirting. I was just making a scientific observation. She's cute, you're cute, you share genes."

Aubrey smiled despite herself. "I didn't know elves knew a lot about science."

"We do, we know all sorts of things." Stacie took a step closer and lowered her voice. "Maybe we could discuss them over coffee?"

"Do you want a tip or something?"

Stacie gasped dramatically. "Aubrey, I'm a public servant. I can't accept tips." She rolled her eyes when Aubrey didn't laugh at her joke. "I just think you're cute and thought maybe you liked me too. It's just coffee."

Casey jumped off Santa's lap and ran towards Aubrey.

"I don't think so," Aubrey said, taking Casey's hand and walking away.

The little girl waved over her shoulder. "Bye, Stacie!"

* * *

Aubrey sighed relieved when she saw that the elf at the front of the line wasn't Stacie. She couldn't believe Casey had talked her into bringing her back, and she didn't know what she would've done if she had to face Stacie after rejecting her the previous day.

Aubrey smiled at the new elf and watched as Casey took her place on Santa's lap again. Aubrey tapped her foot impatiently until Casey ran back to her and they walked away from that area. She was trying to figure out if they needed anything else so she wouldn't be forced to return to the mall again, when Casey started pulling her forward.

"Stacie!" Casey wrapped her free arm around her hips and looked up at her wide eyed. "We went to see Santa and you weren't there! Are you undercover?"

"Yeah, Santa sent me around to check that everyone was behaving. You went back?" Stacie smirked and arched an eyebrow at Aubrey

"Yes, Casey finally decided what she wanted and she didn't want to risk Santa getting it wrong."

"Smart girl." Stacie smiled down at Casey. "Do you guys wanna walk around with me for a bit?"

"We're leaving." Aubrey replied quickly.

Casey tugged on Aubrey's hand. "Aubrey!"

"No, it's fine. You're busy." She took out a receipt from her pocket and flipped it over. "How about I give my phone number to your sister so she can call me and tell me if you change your mind about your present again? I'll let Santa know." She scribbled her number and handed it to Aubrey, lowering her voice. "And you can call me if you change your mind about coffee."

Aubrey pursed her lips and took the piece of paper. "Don't hold your breath."

Stacie ignored her and turned to the girl, giving her a hug. "Later, kiddo."

* * *

Aubrey went into the study and took out her phone and the receipt with Stacie's number. She'd been carrying it around for three days trying to work up the courage to call her, or talking herself out of it. She still hadn't decided.

She thought Stacie was really hot, anyone who looked hot in an elf costume was definitely worth considering. But the mall wasn't exactly her idea of the right place to meet someone, and Stacie had probably asked out other people there, she didn't seem to have any qualms about approaching total strangers and asking them out. But she had been really cute with Casey and she didn't look like a horrible person.

Aubrey groaned and put the receipt back in her pocket deciding to postpone it again.

She heard the distinct sound of someone running around the house and Casey came in a few seconds later, crashing against her. "Aubrey!"

"What is it, Case?"

Casey shook Aubrey's legs. "I need you to call Stacie."

Aubrey furrowed her brow and looked down at her sister. "It's Christmas Eve, you can't change what you want anymore."

"I know!" She kept shaking Aubrey. "But Oliver said that sometimes Santa forgets presents and I just want her to check that mine's on the sleigh."

"Oliver is an idiot, don't listen to him."

Casey pouted up at her. "Please, Bree."

"Fine." Aubrey rolled her eyes and grabbed the paper with Stacie's number again, taking a deep breath before dialing.

"Did she answer? What did she say?"

Aubrey shushed her just as Stacie picked up. "Hi, it's Aubrey. From the mall."

"Hey, Aubrey from the mall." Aubrey could picture Stacie's flirtatious smirk perfectly. "Changed your mind?"

"Actually, Casey wanted me to ask if you could check if her present was on the sleigh."

"Oh." Stacie sounded disappointed. "Sure, I can do that." She paused. "You know I'm not really an elf, right?"

Aubrey chuckled. "Yes, I know."

"Is my present there?" Casey shook Aubrey again.

"She's checking."

"You could've just faked a call to anyone." Stacie said. "Or you could've already told her I found it. I think you want to talk to me."

Aubrey looked down at her sister, she didn't really want to have this conversation with her there. "She said it's there. Go back to play."

Casey grinned and ran back out of the room.

"Stacie." Aubrey took a deep breath.

"Aubrey." Stacie chuckled. "Look, it's cool. You're not into me, I get it. I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable or anything."

"No, I-" She shook her head. "Why did you ask me out?"

"Umm, you're pretty, you took your sister to see Santa, twice, so you're nice, and I saw you checking me out so I thought I had a chance."

"Have you asked anyone else out?"

"In life?" Stacie asked confused.

"No, at the mall. As an elf." Aubrey replied. "Have you asked other people out?"

Stacie chuckled. "No, just you."

Aubrey bit her lip and thought about it for a few seconds. "Okay, I'll go out with you. We'll figure out the details after Christmas."

"I can't wait."

Aubrey smiled. "Goodbye, Stacie."

"Merry Christmas, Aubrey."


	2. Secret Santa

Aubrey opened her purse to find a small giftwrapped box. She frowned, sitting down and looking around the rehearsal space. Most of the girls had already left, and the rest were on their way out. No one looked like they were lingering, and she hadn't seen anyone go near her things. Whoever her Secret Santa was, they were taking the secret part to heart.

She sat down, taking out the box and studying it. It wasn't very big or heavy, the paper was standard Christmas wrapping paper: green with little candy canes. She picked off the edge of the tape holding down one of the corners, biting her lip and peeling it off. She removed the paper carefully, smiling when she saw the chocolate box inside.

She lifted the small card with her name on it that was taped to the top, her brow furrowing confused when she read it.

 _Chocolate is supposed to be good for studying and I know these are your favorite.  
Good luck on your finals!  
-Your secret Santa ;)_

She didn't think anyone knew these were her favorite chocolate, and they didn't sell them in Atlanta so she could only have them when she went back home during breaks. She'd never brought any with her, and she didn't remember mentioning them to anyone, maybe just to Chloe. Maybe Chloe told whoever left these for her, or maybe they were from Chloe.

Aubrey looked at the card again. It didn't look like Chloe's handwriting but maybe she'd gotten someone else to write the card for her. It would totally be a thing Chloe would do to throw her off. Aubrey smiled and shrugged, she'd find out soon enough.

She put the box back in her bag and left. She really did have to study for her finals and she had to go home to pick up her books before going to the library.

A while later, she was dropping her books on her favorite library table.

"What took you so long?" Stacie asked, barely looking up from her book.

"I got distracted." Aubrey sat down, barely containing the urge to sigh at the sight in front of her. Stacie looked adorable all focused on her book with a crease between her eyebrows and the tip of her tongue peeking out between her lips. Not to mention how hot she looked with her glasses on.

She finished taking out her books, hesitating before taking out the box of chocolate. "Do you want some chocolate?"

"Sure." Stacie looked up smiling fleetingly at her and grabbing a piece. She popped it in her mouth, humming approvingly. "These are good, where did you get them?"

"My secret Santa."

Stacie snorted. "Well your secret Santa is way better than mine. All I've gotten so far is a candy cane, and it was tiny."

Aubrey looked at Stacie, trying to suss out if Stacie knew anything about it but she had gone back to reading her book. Aubrey guessed Stacie being her secret Santa would have been too good.

* * *

 _Don't lose these.  
-Merry Xmas xo_

Aubrey frowned looking at the gloves she found in the pocket of her jacket after rehearsal. She had lost one of her gloves a few days prior and she had told Chloe about it before rehearsal started. She figured any of the other girls who were there already could have heard her.

She tried on the gloves. They were really soft and they fit perfectly. They certainly didn't look cheap.

She walked over to where Chloe was standing waiting for her. "Are you my secret Santa?"

Chloe scoffed. "That's not how this works."

"Chloe," Aubrey protested.

"Did you like your gift?" Aubrey frowned. "I want the credit if you did and nothing to do with it if you didn't."

"You're the worst." Aubrey groaned. "Let's go."

"So what did you get?"

Aubrey didn't know whether or not to buy Chloe's innocent act. "Chocolates, those fancy lozenges I like, and these gloves."

Aubrey held out her hand and Chloe touched it. "Oh these are nice. Whoever got them for you must really like you."

"Well that rules out Beca." Aubrey grumbled. "Do you wanna go to the mall? I need to get my present."

"Sure, what are you getting?"

"I'm not telling you, what if it's for you?"

"Ooh can I pick it?" Chloe asked with a huge grin.

"No."

Aubrey dragged Chloe around the mall for a while. Chloe was happy enough to do it, except shopping for Christmas presents had left her with almost no money so she couldn't buy anything which made it less fun. Aubrey finally decided on a gift and was trying to come up with a way to ditch Chloe even though she wasn't her secret Santa, just to keep up appearances, when she spotted someone familiar.

She grabbed Chloe's arm and pulled her behind a column. "Is that Jessica?"

Chloe peeked from behind the column. "And Ashley."

"Do you think they're getting their secret Santa gifts?"

Chloe nodded. "Maybe it's for us? We should follow them."

"That feels wrong." Chloe arched her eyebrows. "Okay, just for a bit."

They followed them to a store where they stopped at a rack with scarves.

"That's the same color as your gloves." Chloe whispered. "Maybe one of them's your secret Santa."

"Maybe." Aubrey didn't think either of them particularly liked her, at least not enough to go through all this trouble. "We should go before they see us."

* * *

Unsurprisingly, she found a package with the scarf outside her door the next day. She smiled sadly, she had still hoped that Stacie was her secret Santa, that she had been the one to pay attention to her favorite things and her lack of glove. Now that she knew it was either Jessica or Ashley, while extremely thoughtful, the gifts seemed rather odd. Especially the request on the card to wear the scarf to their Christmas party.

Aubrey shrugged and put it on. The party was at their rehearsal space, the girls had told Chloe and her that they'd handle all the preparations this time. Aubrey wasn't very confident on their ability to plan anything, so she was pleasantly surprised when she arrived and the place was covered in Christmas decorations and Beca was DJing next to what looked like the result of a liquor store raid.

Stacie skipped over to her as soon as she spotted her and pulled her behind the bleachers. "You're here."

Aubrey chuckled nervously, her heart speeding up at Stacie's proximity. "Yes. What's up."

Stacie bit her lip and her eyes shifted away from Aubrey's for a second. She raised her arms above Aubrey's head and pulled a hat on her. "Merry Christmas."

"What-" Aubrey shook her head and reached up to take off the hat and look at it. It was the same color as the scarf and the gloves. "You?"

"I know we were supposed to wait until the final gift exchange to reveal ourselves but you looked really cute with the scarf and the gloves and I couldn't wait."

Aubrey shook her head. "But I thought-" She narrowed her eyes. "I saw Jessica and Ashley getting the scarf."

"I had a final yesterday so I asked them to pick it up." Stacie smirked.

"How did you know about the chocolate?"

Stacie mumbled unintelligibly and scratched the back of her neck.

"What?"

Stacie sighed. "I asked your sister. She sent them to me, she said you loved them." Stacie hurried to explain herself when Aubrey frowned confused. "I wanted to give you something special so I got your sister's number from Chloe and then I had to bribe Ashley to trade her name with me."

"Why?" Aubrey tilted her head.

Stacie chuckled. "Because I like you?"

"You like me?"

Stacie had barely nodded when Aubrey threw her arms around her neck and kissed her. Stacie responded, holding Aubrey's waist mostly to hold herself steady while the shock wore off.

Aubrey pulled back after a few seconds. "I'm sorry, I just-"

Stacie shook her head and leaned forward again. "Don't be."


	3. Reindeer(s)

Aubrey Posen had nerves of steel. She was a shark in and out of the courtroom, she became a partner in her firm in record time, she excelled in high pressure situations. So this feeling in the pit of her stomach, the dread as she raised her hand to knock on the door, wasn't something she was used to.

She had met Stacie six months ago at a fundraiser. She had been immediately attracted to her, and after ten minutes of talking to her, she knew she wanted to ask her out. She had hesitated when Stacie told her she had a kid, but she felt she owed it to herself to at least go on a date with her. Everything had been perfect, and six months into the relationship, she was hopelessly smitten with Stacie.

She'd met Parker, her daughter, a few times. They'd gotten along well enough but they had never spent more than a few hours together, she didn't think they were ready to spend Christmas together. Christmas was big, they had traditions and she felt like she was intruding. But she couldn't say no to Stacie.

So there she was, standing outside Stacie's door on Christmas eve, holding a plate of cookies and feeling like she was going to throw up.

Stacie smiled widely when she opened the door. "You're here!" She pulled her inside and kissed her quickly. "What do you have there?"

"Cookies, for Santa?"

"Oh." Stacie took the plate and twisted her lip. "We usually bake them, but these look amazing, I'm sure Santa will love them."

"Oh, no. I mean, we can eat those and bake cookies for Santa later."

"Are you sure?" Stacie had walked to the kitchen and put the plate on the counter.

"Of course." She grabbed a cookie and bit into it. "I don't want you to change anything about what you do, having me here is going to be disruptive enough for Parker."

"I talked to Parker and she's fine with having you here." Stacie ran her hands down Aubrey's arms. "We're gonna have a great time, baby. Don't worry."

"Okay."

Stacie kissed her, pulling back with a smile and licking her lips. "Is that nutmeg?" Stacie grabbed a cookie and bit into it. "These are too good to be wasted on Santa. Come on."

Stacie took her hand and pulled her out to the living room.

"Parker, Aubrey's here!" The five year old walked into the living room and grabbed Stacie's hand. "Do you remember I told you Aubrey was gonna spend Christmas with us?"

"It's not Christmas yet."

Stacie gave Aubrey a wary look. "I know, hon, but I wanted her to spend the night here so she could open presents with us in the morning after Santa comes. That sounds fun, huh?"

The girl shrugged and Aubrey tried not to panic. She knelt down and reached into the bag she was carrying. "Hey, I brought you something. Do you wanna put it under the tree with the rest of your presents?"

Parker smiled cautiously and nodded, walking towards Aubrey. "What is it?"

"You're gonna have to wait until tomorrow to find out, but I'm sure you'll like it." She smiled at Parker and the girl's smile widened a fraction. She took out a smaller box from the bag and handed both boxes to Parker. "That one's for your mom."

Parker nodded and took the presents to the tree. Stacie watched the exchange with a big smile on her face, approaching Aubrey as Parker walked away, helping her up and pulling her against her side. "You're the best." Aubrey beamed at her. "Park, why don't you show Aubrey the stocking you made for her?"

She led Aubrey to the mantle. Next to Stacie's and Parker's stockings, there was a newer looking one with Aubrey's name on it.

"Do you like it?" Parker looked up at her.

Aubrey swallowed the knot in her throat and nodded. "I love it."

Stacie wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek, turning to Parker. "Do you want to bake Santa's cookies now?"

"Yes!"

"Go wash up."

The little girl ran to the bathroom and Stacie turned to face Aubrey. "Are you okay."

Aubrey kissed her cupping her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too." Stacie smiled, kissing her again before taking her hand and taking her to the kitchen. "You wash up too."

Parker came running in and Stacie helped her up to a high stool. She handed Aubrey a bowl, kissing her cheek. "You mix while I sift the flour." She placed a rolling pin in front of Parker. "You roll."

* * *

Stacie covered Aubrey's hand on the table and brushed her thumb over her knuckles, looking at her in a way that made Aubrey's stomach turn in a whole different way than earlier.

"Are you having a good time?"

Aubrey nodded. "Today has been great."

"Mom, can we open them now?"

Stacie looked at Aubrey and smiled. "Yes, but Aubrey doesn't know about this. We need to tell her first."

"Tell me what?" Aubrey looked between them confused.

Stacie pulled her up and onto the living room couch, sitting her down. "Every year we open one present on Christmas Eve." She turned to her daughter. "Parker."

Parker went to the tree and dragged a large box to where Stacie was standing while Stacie continued with her explanation.

"It's not just any present, it's something you have to wear. We got one for you too, Parker picked them."

The girl looked up at Stacie expectantly. Stacie nodded and she opened the box, handing a wrapped parcel to Aubrey. Aubrey thanked her, feeling a little self conscious about the two pairs of green eyes staring at her as she unwrapped her present.

"Wow, this is-" She shook her head, not really sure what to say.

"Reindeer PJ's!" Parker said excitedly, pulling out her own reindeer onesie from inside the box and handing one to Stacie.

"It's a onesie." Aubrey said unsure.

Parker nodded excitedly. "I'm gonna go change!"

"Meet you back out here in a bit." Stacie held out her hand to Aubrey. "We gotta change before the movie."

Aubrey looked at the pajamas on her lap and then back at Stacie.

"You don't have to wear them if you don't want to, you can borrow a hoodie or something."

"No." She took Stacie's hand and stood up. "I want to."

"Okay."

They went to Stacie's bedroom to change. Stacie finished first and went over to Aubrey, pulling on the hood with the antlers on her and chuckling.

Aubrey turned to face her with a pout. "How do I look?"

Stacie ran her hand down Aubrey's bare stomach and pulled the zipper closed. "Super hot." She kissed Aubrey's pouty lip. "And adorable."

Aubrey wrapped her arms around her. "You're lucky I love you."

Stacie smiled and framed Aubrey's face with her hands, rubbing her thumbs over her cheeks. "Thank you. For being here and wearing ridiculous pajamas and everything. It means a lot to me."

"Thank you for inviting me."

Stacie kissed her deeply, taking advantage of the fact that they were alone for the first time all day. Aubrey pulled Stacie forward by her hips, nipping at her lower lip. Stacie moaned, pulling back with her eyes still closed and rested her forehead against Aubrey's.

"Ready for the movie?"

* * *

Stacie reclined against Aubrey, watching Parker play with one of her presents while Aubrey toyed with the ends of her hair.

After Parker had woken them up, they had gone to the living room to open their presents. Stacie and Aubrey had moved to the couch once they were done, where they'd been sitting for awhile.

"Hey, do you want pancakes for breakfast?" Parker nodded without looking up from her toy and Stacie chuckled, looking up at Aubrey. "How about you? Blueberry? Banana!"

Aubrey smiled. "I'd love that."

"But first." Stacie sat up and took out her phone. "Parker, come over so we can take a picture."

"I can take it." Aubrey offered.

Stacie frowned. "But I want you in it."

"Are you sure?"

"Baby." Stacie arched an eyebrow and picked up Parker, sitting her on her lap. "Come on."

Aubrey leaned closer to Stacie, a warm feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Stacie rearranged her antlers, giving her a quick kiss before lifting her phone. "Say cheese!"


	4. Gift Exchange

Aubrey didn't really mind spending Christmas by herself. She had chosen not to go spend it with her parents, not that she would've had the time to make the trip anyway, but the whole ordeal stressed her out. She'd have to help her mom with dinner while enduring her endless criticisms, and then share the meal with a bunch of people she hadn't seen in years and didn't care about anything about her except when she was gonna find a nice man to settle down with.

One year, she'd been so fed up by the fourth degree that she'd dared to mention maybe she'd find a nice woman to settle down with. The silence that followed had made her so uncomfortable she'd laughed as if she was joking. And while her parents knew she also dated women, they said their extended family didn't need to know about her personal business, which Aubrey thought was ironic since all they asked about was her personal business.

She'd refused to go through that again, and had planned on spending a quiet Christmas at home. Except Chloe had found out about it and insisted she spend it with her and her girlfriend; apparently her girlfriend's roommate was cooking and inviting a few friends. She figured that spending Christmas with Chloe, her girlfriend, and a bunch of strangers wouldn't be as bad as being with her family so she agreed.

That was until Chloe told her there was going to be a gift exchange.

"Why do I have to participate? I don't know anyone." Aubrey grumbled, stretching her legs and bumping Chloe's thigh with her sock clad feet.

"You know Beca! Besides, the draw already happened so you can't get out of it anymore." She tossed Aubrey her phone and poked her calf. "It's gonna be fun! Check your email, you should have the name of the person in your inbox."

Aubrey groaned, opening up her email. "It's not one of those ridiculous joke gift exchanges, right?"

"No, you can add anything to your wishlist that's within the price range, and people get it for you. No jokes."

"Then what's the point? I can just spend that on something I know I'm gonna like and save myself the trouble," Aubrey said.

"You're the worst." Chloe pushed Aubrey's feet off the couch and scooted closer to Aubrey. "Can you just check who you got?"

Aubrey's finger hovered over her phone, but before she clicked the email open, she pressed her phone to her chest. "What if I got you?"

"Then you better get me something that's well beyond the price range." Chloe shook Aubrey's arm. "Just open it!"

Chloe sighed and clicked on the email, frowning when she read the name. "Who's Stacie?"

"Beca's roommate. She went to my Halloween party, you know her," Chloe said. "Tall, brunette, super hot. She was wearing a devil costume."

 _The brunette pushed Aubrey against the wall without breaking the kiss, one of her hands pinning her wrist over her head, and the other one slipping down her side to her thigh. She tugged on her lower lip with her teeth, smiling when Aubrey moaned, then let go to trace a path of kisses to her neck, sucking on her pulse point until Aubrey was squirming against her._

"I don't think I met her," Aubrey mumbled.

"Sure you did! I saw you talking to her right before we left," Chloe insisted.

 _Aubrey tangled the fingers of her free hand in her hair, pressing her closer as her teeth raked down her neck and letting out a little gasp when she felt her bite down on her clavicle. The brunette hoisted Aubrey's leg up and the hand on her wrist shifted up, lacing their fingers together as she pressed her body flush against hers._

" _Bree, did you find your coat?" Aubrey pushed the brunette back at the sound of Chloe's voice, turning towards the bed where all the coats were thrown just as the door opened. "What's taking so long?"_

 _Aubrey turned to look at the brunette. "We were just talking and I got distracted."_

" _Yup," the brunette confirmed with a grin._

 _Chloe rolled her eyes and pulled her jacket from the bottom of the pile. "Here they are." She grabbed Aubrey's hand and pulled her out of the room. "Bye, Stace."_

"I don't really remember her."

Chloe arched an eyebrow at her but didn't push. "Well, she should be pretty easy to shop for."

* * *

Chloe had been wrong. While Aubrey had been very specific on her wishlist, Stacie had written she wanted to be surprised. She told Chloe to ask Beca about it and found out that Stacie thought it was stupid to have a gift exchange if she already knew what she was getting. Beca told Chloe a few stuff she would like but Aubrey was still not sure about what to get. She was going to stick to the price range, she didn't want to seem overeager, or like she was expecting something more from Stacie, and she didn't want to make her uncomfortable by making the gift too personal.

The fact that she actually liked Stacie complicated things more. They had been talking on and off at the Halloween party, and she'd been looking for her jacket when Aubrey came in to the room looking for hers. There'd been something in the way she looked at her that made her close the door, and Stacie had walked up to her as she did, stopping close enough for Aubrey to just lean forward and connect their lips.

They hadn't actually exchanged names at any point, and their conversation before they made out started out with them criticising someone else's awful costume, and continued with Stacie blatantly flirting with her. She was funny and had the greatest smile Aubrey had ever seen. Besides, the memory of their kiss had popped into Aubrey's head more times than she cared to admit. She had thought about asking Chloe about her but, just like now, she wasn't too sure that Stacie would want to see her again.

Except now she couldn't really avoid seeing her, so she needed a gift that didn't say much, while still being awesome enough in case she did have a chance, which wasn't simple. She had to send Chloe to gather more information, and finally settled on a brass desk telescope. It was small and, even though it actually worked, it was mostly decorative. It was within the price range, and though it was a bit personal, it wasn't over the top.

Aubrey showed up at Beca and Stacie's on Christmas day with her wrapped gift and a bottle of wine, her mouth forced into a smile so her nerves didn't show. Thankfully, Chloe was the one to open the door, and quickly pulled Aubrey inside and into a hug.

"You're here!" She pulled back and chuckled. "I mean, of course I know you're here, I was just worried you were gonna bail."

"I told you I was coming," Aubrey said and took her coat off. Chloe grabbed it with the gift and started down the hall. "Where are you taking my gift?"

"To the tree." Chloe replied, leading Aubrey to the living room. "Guys, you've met Aubrey."

Chloe proceeded to list everyone's name but Aubrey didn't pay much attention. She'd met some of Beca's friends at Chloe's Halloween party and she'd liked most of them, still she hoped Chloe didn't expect her to hang out with them more often. Besides, she was distracted trying to find Stacie.

"Dinner's almost ready, we're just waiting for a couple more people." Chloe led her to the makeshift bar and handed her cup. "You're good here? I'm gonna go check on Stacie and Beca."

Aubrey nodded, her stomach flipping at the mention of Stacie. She poured herself a drink, feeling the alcohol slide down her throat and somewhat soothing her nerves. She tried not to drink too fast but by the time dinner was ready and the rest of the guests arrived, she was already on her second drink.

She was on her way to the large table they'd set up, when Chloe pulled her to the other side so she'd sit next to her. She ended up on the opposite side of the table as Stacie, the only sign that she'd even seen her was a small confused smile when their eyes met when she came into the room.

Aubrey tried to avoid looking in her direction, she didn't want to seem like a creeper and she had to turn and lean forward to actually see her, which would have made it pretty obvious. The meal itself wasn't bad, and she'd actually enjoyed dinner even though her mind was almost entirely focused on the brunette on the other side.

"Hey." Aubrey almost dropped her spoon at the sound. People had drifted to various parts of the living room, gathering around the tree when dessert was served, and Aubrey had taken her pudding to the couch.

She hadn't noticed Stacie approach her, and she hadn't had a chance to take a good look at her before. She was wearing a Santa costume, complete with a hat and a red skirt that ended just above her knees.

"Hey." Aubrey smiled and flicked the pompon of her hat. "Are you supposed to be Santa?"

"Why don't you sit on my lap and find out?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're ridiculous."

"That's what you said the last time."

Aubrey looked up, biting her lip at the mention of their last encounter, and took a deep breath. "And it's still true."

Stacie chuckled, turning away when Beca called her name and nodded at the tree. "I gotta go give out the gifts."

Stacie grabbed the red bag Beca handed her and went around the room, giving everyone their gift, winking at Aubrey when she handed her a small red box. Aubrey waited until everyone had their gifts, watching Stacie as she took the last box and sat down to open her own, her brow furrowed adorably as she ripped the wrapping off. She opened the box slowly, her mouth forming an 'O' as she took the telescope out.

She took the card out from the bottom of the box, smiling up at Aubrey when she read it was from her, but when she made a move towards her, Chloe sat next to Aubrey, demanding that she open her present.

Stacie helped Beca gather the trash from all the gifts and then disappeared into the kitchen. Aubrey didn't know what to think about Stacie's absence. She could attribute it to her freaking out about her gift or because she actually had something to do somewhere else. She couldn't help dwelling on it, leaning towards the former, so as soon as she thought it was socially acceptable, Aubrey decided to go get her coat and say goodbye.

"This seems familiar." Aubrey spun around, finding Stacie standing by the door watching her. She closed the door, stepping inside, and walked up to Aubrey. "You're leaving already?"

"I have to work tomorrow." Aubrey shrugged.

Stacie stepped closer and looked down at her. "I really liked the gift."

Aubrey couldn't help smiling at that. "I'm glad."

"But-" Aubrey frowned slightly. "I was hoping it would come with your number."

"My number?" Aubrey asked with a smirk.

Stacie nodded. "So I can call you. Maybe ask you out?"

Aubrey tilted her head to the side. "That sounds good."

Stacie smiled widely and it made Aubrey's chest feel lighter. She grabbed Aubrey's hand and tugged her forward a few steps before looking up at the ceiling. "Look, mistletoe."


	5. Rockin' Around the Pole

It was that time of the year again. The air was crisp, the cups were red, and everywhere she went she heard the jingle jangle of some jolly tune. Most importantly, it was almost time for Cryptogen's non denominational holiday party. A night of sanctioned drinking and debauchery which fed the stream of office gossip for the next few weeks.

Aubrey had managed to avoid the dreaded event since joining the company, having flown home for Christmas right before it happened. This year, however, her parents had decided to make a trip to the Caribbean, meaning Aubrey would not be able to avoid it.

She had tried. She was ready to lie, take days off even if she wasn't going anywhere, she had even called her sister and asked if she could spend the holidays with her and her family, but all had failed. Her best friend knew she was going to be in town and since she was part of the organizing committee, there was no getting out of it. The only concession she got from Chloe was being the designated driver, which meant that she would at least have an excuse to avoid the heavily spiked punch, the downfall of many and the cause of at least a couple of broken legs and one pregnancy.

The fact that she'd never been at the office this close to the event meant that she was unprepared for the scene that greeted her as soon as she exited the elevator that morning. A huge tree had been erected in the middle of the foyer, right in front of the elevators and before the open floor plan space where most of the cubicles were situated. Red and green streamers were being hung from the ceiling and in between desks, and she tripped over a line of menorahs waiting to be placed as she made her way to her office.

She closed the door, thankful to have escaped the madness outside her corner office. She hadn't expected the entire floor to be converted into the Grinch's cave after he stole Christmas. Hopefully, she'd get some peace to work before the party started later.

The door opened just as she was sitting behind her desk, shattering her hopes of peace and quiet when Chloe entered holding a huge box of decorations and dropped it on the table by the door.

She turned, her eyes widening when she spotted Aubrey. "You're early!"

"I just got here." Aubrey nodded at the box. "What's that?"

"I was gonna surprise you!" She pulled out one of the streamers and held it up for Aubrey to see. "Did you see the tree?"

"It's hard to miss."

"I stayed up late yesterday to decorate," Chloe said as she started to scatter ornaments around the office. "I'm gonna finish the rest of the decorations on the main floor this morning so I can start setting up for the party after lunch."

"There's more to set up?"

"Oh yeah," Chloe nodded. "I have to make room near the east wall for the dance floor and karaoke, set up the bar and the table for the DJ."

"Karaoke?" Aubrey whispered scrunching up her nose.

"It's gonna be the best!" Chloe squealed, taking Aubrey's coffee mug from her hand and slipping it in a Christmas cozy with a grin. She handed it back to Aubrey and raked her eyes up and down her body. "You're not wearing that, are you?"

"I wasn't really planning to go home." Aubrey looked down self consciously at her disapproving tone. She thought she had mastered her work look by now, looking stylish yet professional. "What's wrong with this?"

"Nothing's wrong with it, you just look like you always do." Chloe shrugged. "And this is your chance for some people to see a different side of you. See that you're fun and you can let your hair down."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. She constantly regretted having told Chloe about her office crush. "I'm fine with what I'm wearing."

Chloe completely ignored her, waving her hand dismissively and leaned on Aubrey's desk. "Tonight would be the perfect occasion to tell her how you feel."

"I don't feel anything." Aubrey sighed exasperated and pushed Chloe towards the door. "I thought you had things to do somewhere else."

Chloe chuckled, waving as she walked out. "See you tonight!"

Aubrey rolled her eyes and refocused on her computer, committing to getting something done today despite the distractions. She could hear people outside her door talking, soft Christmas music coming from someone's computer speakers, and Chloe's voice directing someone who was helping her with the decorations.

She managed to tune the noise out and get through a few of the items on her to-do list, when she was interrupted again by a knock on her door. This time the sight that greeted her was way more appealing. "Hey, Stace."

The brunette smiled, something that always managed to make Aubrey feel better. "Hey, Bree." She took a tentative step into the office. "Chloe said she left a box of Christmas stuff here?"

"Oh," Aubrey stood and walked to the table where Chloe had put down her stuff earlier. "Here."

Aubrey picked up the box, turning to find Stacie had walked to her. "Thanks." Stacie grabbed the box but Aubrey didn't let go immediately. "You're coming tonight, right?"

Aubrey nodded and chuckled. "Chloe wouldn't let me miss it."

"Good, I always miss you on these."

Aubrey bit her lip to keep her smile from getting out of control. "You do?"

Stacie blushed and looked down at the box, shrugging nonchalantly. Aubrey was suddenly glad the box in between them was there to keep her from doing something impulsive.

Stacie spotted something in the box and reached inside, chuckling when she took out a small bundle of leaves tied together.

"Is that-" Aubrey asked.

"Chloe's mistletoe." Stacie nodded. "She goes around holding it over people and making them kiss."

"Oh god." Aubrey shook her head, finally letting go of the box and taking a few steps back. "Do people sign release forms before this party?"

Stacie laughed. "Shouldn't you know that, Miss Head of Legal?"

"Touché."

There was a loud crash outside followed by someone yelling they were fine. Stacie frowned at the noise and pointed outside. "I should go back to Chloe, last time I left her alone with the glue gun she glued her skirt to the wall." She stopped just short of the door and turned back to Aubrey, tossing the sprig of mistletoe with a wink. "If she asks about it, I'll say it wasn't in here."

Aubrey stared at Stacie's retreating form and then at the semi-closed door for a while, until she realized she'd been holding her breath and been hugging the mistletoe to her chest. She threw it to the couch and shook her head.

She couldn't really fault Chloe for teasing her about her crush on Stacie. She'd had it since Stacie had joined the company a couple of years back, and had persisted despite Aubrey's belief that it would eventually fade.

They had a good relationship, some would even say they were friends, but there had always been a tense undercurrent to their interactions which neither of them had ever acted on; Aubrey because she didn't want to complicate things by dating someone she worked with and she'd always suspected Stacie was a little intimidated by her because she was the head of the legal department. The legal department which was in fact just a couple of people fresh out of law school and a few assistants checking contracts and licensing for the company. The truth was, Stacie was way more important for the company. She was part of the software development group, the innovators, and even though Aubrey didn't really understand the minutiae of what exactly Stacie did, she knew she was one of the best at it.

Stacie was gorgeous and smart and apparently liked Aubrey back, which had been a source of endless frustration for Chloe ever since she noticed they were both weird around each other and Aubrey finally confessed to her crush. Given Chloe's meddling nature, she'd tried everything to get them together short of locking them in a closet. She constantly found excuses for them to spend time together, which neither of them ever complained about, and had left Stacie in charge of checking in on Aubrey whenever she went on vacation, which Aubrey still didn't get why it was necessary; but the fact that Stacie had dutifully popped up in Aubrey's office once a day whenever Chloe was out, asking if she'd had lunch or if she needed something, always made her smile.

The evidence suggested that Chloe had something planned for tonight, something involving Stacie. Part of her was a little excited about the prospect of hanging out with Stacie later, but even though it got harder each time, she was still firm in her conviction that dating someone she worked with would be a bad idea. She just hoped tonight wasn't the day Chloe snapped and locked them in a closet.

Thankfully, Chloe was too busy with the preparations for the party to interrupt her again and she managed to get her work done early. She decided to go home and change, not for Stacie, but she figured that if she was doing this, she might as well put some effort into it.

The party was well underway when she arrived, and she was surprised by the transformation of the space. The desks had been removed from a corner of the building, leaving a wide open space where people were dancing and a few tables of food and drinks had been set up. The view from the wide floor to ceiling windows had been left unobstructed and the people who weren't dancing were clustered close to the window.

Aubrey didn't know what they'd done to people's desks, or how they'd worked that day, they probably hadn't, but she had to hand it to Chloe, it really looked great. There was even a corner of the room where a mic had been set up and people where singing, although, judging by the lack of sobriety of the people currently there, Aubrey was glad the music from the dance floor was loud enough to drown them out from this side of the room.

Aubrey crossed to the drinks table, making a point to avoid the fruit punch and grabbing a can of soda before making her way towards the window. She'd been standing there for a few minutes when she noticed someone in red step up next to her.

"Chloe's gonna be very disappointed if she finds you just standing here."

Aubrey smiled at the sound of Stacie's voice. "What do you suggest?"

She turned to look at her, her throat suddenly dry at the sight in front of her. Stacie was wearing a red santa suit, the skirt just barely reaching the top thighs, and the bottom covered by knee high black boots. The top was tight around her chest, the fuzzy white trim framing a generous cleavage. Even the hat on top of her head looked way hotter than it should.

"There's still time to make the naughty list." Stacie winked.

All rational thought seemed to have escaped Aubrey, and she suddenly started feeling very hot. She was glad the lights were low and Stacie couldn't tell how bad she was blushing right now because she was sure she was, there was no way her face wasn't bright red considering the thoughts that were currently coursing through her brain at lightning speed. Thoughts that would definitely make her end up right at the top of the naughty list.

Aubrey needed space to breathe, to think about something other than jumping Stacie right then and there. She couldn't just stand there gaping like a brainless fish, she probably looked ridiculous and stupid.

"I…" She pointed somewhere behind her and started walking away from Stacie. "Bye."

She turned, walking towards the safety of her office and dropping down onto her couch without turning the light on. She hid her face in her hands with a loud groan, feeling how warm her cheeks were.

She felt ridiculous and embarrassed and Stacie probably thought she was insane for leaving like that. That is if she hadn't noticed how she'd been practically drooling over her and had been completely creeped out.

"Bree, I'm sorry." Aubrey dropped her hands and looked up just as Stacie turned on the light and walked in. "I shouldn't have said that, I'm just tipsy and dumb and I was wearing the Santa suit so I figured it would sound cute, not creepy and pervy like it did."

Stacie fell on the couch next to her, staring at the ceiling and avoiding looking at Aubrey.

Aubrey smiled when she realized Stacie was just as embarrassed as her. She allowed herself a second to admire the outfit in the brighter light of her office for a second before scooting closer and taking Stacie's hand. "It was cute." Stacie turned and raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, making Aubrey chuckle. "Fine, and a tiny bit pervy."

Stacie groaned and looked away again much to Aubrey's amusement. Aubrey's eyes roamed over her face, her hand still inside Stacie's, and made a choice. She didn't know if seeing Stacie dressed like that had broken something in her brain, but she didn't feel like questioning it.

"Are you drunk?"

Stacie frowned. "Not really, I just had enough to drink to make me say something stupid."

"Good."

Stacie's frown deepened and she turned to look at Aubrey. "Good?"

"I want you to be sober enough to remember this." She bit her lip. "And to know that I'm not taking advantage of you."

Stacie grinned. "I'm a willing participant in whatever you're thinking."

Aubrey smiled back, turning to look for the mistletoe she'd tossed onto the couch earlier. Stacie grinned when she held it over them and Aubrey leaned forward slowly, her lips finally covering Stacie's in a soft kiss. She felt Stacie respond, her lips pressing against hers and her body tilting towards her. She let go of the mistletoe and cupped Stacie's cheek, pulling back slowly and looking into Stacie's eyes.

"So you liked the suit?"

Aubrey laughed, tracing Stacie's cheekbone with her thumb. "I liked the suit."

Stacie pecked her lips and grinned widely. "Wanna sit on my lap and tell me what you want for Christmas?" Aubrey arched an eyebrow. "Pervy?"

"Pervy." Aubrey agreed as she climbed onto her lap and kissed her again.

Stacie broke the kiss, tilting Aubrey's head and kissing down her neck. "You know what Chloe gave me for Christmas?"

Aubrey frowned, she didn't want to think about Chloe, or anyone else, right now. "What?"

"A filled out consensual relationship agreement form." She pulled back and looked at Aubrey shyly. "I already signed it."

Aubrey felt her heart close to bursting and she responded by kissing Stacie deeply, vaguely aware of the music and laughter wafting in from the party outside. And though she had really only been at the party for a few minutes, she was sure Chloe wouldn't be mad at her for bailing this time.


End file.
